Decision 2016: Hillary, Rubio more popular than Obama?

A new Quinnipiac Poll out this morning shows Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio more popular than President Obama, per National Journal.

Politico: “After years of questions about his girth, Chris Christie seemed to settle on a strategy – leave them laughing. The overweight New Jersey governor took to Dave Letterman’s couch, donut in hand, on Monday night, joining one of his chief late night tormenters for some jokes at his own expense. The calculation was clear – try to turn the potential negative into a positive, a strategy used by many a politician, including Al Gore during his 2000 presidential campaign….The Letterman appearance was the clearest sign yet that Christie is well aware that his girth presents a potential obstacle in 2016, if not with voters than with the media. But by bringing it up as a joke, Christie effectively signaled it’s acceptable to discuss it.”

CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles Times: “The top five candidates for Los Angeles mayor faced an unusually tough grilling Thursday led by Austin Beutner, the former deputy mayor who once stood as a leading contender in the race…While in past debates the candidates have offered a striking lack of specificity about how they would tackle the city's looming $1-billion budget deficit, Beutner — a retired investment banker who served as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's first deputy until mid-2011 — repeatedly pressed them for details at a lively San Fernando Valley forum.”

TEXAS: “The campaign manager for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, already facing a state investigation over allegations of theft from Dewhurst’s political account, has been accused of also taking at least $1 million from the Republican’s U.S. Senate campaign last year,” The Dallas Morning News writes.